A TMNT Thanksgiving
by FaithfulWhispers
Summary: A short TMNT 2012 fanfic of the Turtles celebrating Thanksgiving a bit differently than the tradition they grew up with. I hope you enjoy reading . Oneshot


The four turtles sat around the television. They had finished watching Space Heroes and commercials were on. The ad was a Thanksgiving one with a happy family eating a turkey. It had been inching closer to thanksgiving and when the four of them went out on their nightly patrols, lately there had been more and more Christmas decorations. It was a beautiful sight at night with all the lights. However, the often wished that they could take part in the festivities.

Master Splinter let them celebrate holidays in the sewers, however it never felt as good as it could be. You were very limited on what you could do in there. However, this year they wanted to do something different.

"Man I want to roast a turkey this year and I want to try some stuffing! That looks like a lot of fun!" Mikey exclaimed very loudly. He was the one that got fired up over things like this. "Why can't we ever have Thanksgiving like that?" and he started rambling on.

"Because Mikey, we're mutants and we can't exactly walk into a store and purchase one." Donnie pointed out. Even though he was right, there were times he wished could take part in activities like that too. Master Splinter tried to provide as much as he could to them growing up, so he tried not to whine about it.

"That's right. Besides we have each other and that's something to be thankful of." Leo said to him.

They heard footsteps enter the lair and they turned around. "Oh hey, April." They all greeted in unison.

"What's up guys? I heard Mikey shouting." She was curious to see what all the excitement was about.

April came down to the sewers a lot lately. There wasn't as much school work and she didn't like being home alone that often, since it reminded her that her dad was missing. The four turtles shifted awkwardly in their spots. Donnie stood up and rubbed the back of his neck, while Mikey sat on the floor pouting.

"Well, Mikey was talking about wanting a Thanksgiving like the one we see on television every year. For most of our lives we pretty much gathered around, while eating worms and algae." He told her.

The mention of worms and algae made everyone except Michelangelo, cringe.

This time Raph chimed in with "Well, we are Mutants after all and we can't exactly go shopping."

April felt crushed to see them this way; fighting over a holiday. On days like this, she felt like she took her life for granted. However, at the mention of Thanksgiving her heart felt heavy since she will be spending it alone this year.

"So April, what are you doing for Thanksgiving?" Donnie asked in curiosity. He wanted to shift the focus off them.

April looked away and shrugged. "Uh, I don't plan on doing anything. Usually I spend it with my Dad…but there's no point in moping. It's just another day, right?"

The four brothers instantly felt a heavy weight crash down on them. They were complaining about their life in front of her, even though they had each other. Even if they couldn't do the things they wanted, they didn't have to go through it alone. However, April didn't have anyone right now.

Mikey stood up real fast and ran to her side. "I have an idea!" He exclaims while bouncing in place with energy.

"Why don't you spend it with us? You're pretty much family! Also, you can do things that we can't and we can all celebrate down here, like the people on the TV!" He gave her the puppy dog eyes.

When April looked at him, she knew she couldn't resist. In fact, the other three loved that idea, even though Raph didn't show it as much. She shifted side to side and then put her hands on Mikey's shoulders to calm him down.

"Okay, okay. I will. Now calm down." She said with a laugh. It made her feel better that they were looking out for her. Also it made her feel good that she could provide them something. They always tried their hardest to do things for her and this time it was her turn to give back. She was extremely thankful for this odd family.

Master Splinter came into the room to see what all the excitement was. His sons all cheered and bounced around at the idea of a new tradition.

"What is going on, my sons?" He inquired.

They all stopped in their tracks and looked up at their father. They knew that they would need his permission.

"Um sensei, we wanted to have Thanksgiving a bit different this year." Leo replied.

"Oh? How so, Leonardo?" Their father replied, gripping his beard.

"Uh, we invited April to join us. Since we consider her family and it would be nice to have us all gather around a turkey….." Leo started trailing off and his voice lowered to a mumble.

Master Splinter cut him off and said, "Oh that sounds interesting. Alright, I look forward to it." Then he let out a chuckle and walked away to go meditate.

Jumping for joy, the brothers couldn't sit still. They've always wanted to do something different and they were very thankful for April. Mikey started listing off all the names of food that he's seen on television that he wanted to try. However, Donnie was trying to calm him down and remind him that he shouldn't overload April. He didn't want him to make her feel like they were taking advantage of her kindness.

Like his brother, he was still excited. The idea of spending Thanksgiving with the girl he liked made him happy. It also made him extremely happy that they will get to experience something new. April didn't mind and she had sat down on the couch. The sight of four giant turtles getting excited over Turkey made her laugh. She didn't want to tell them they wouldn't like it nearly as much as pizza though. Raphael was smiling, and he walked over and sat down next to her.

"Um, you didn't have to do that." He mumbled while refusing to look at her. His face flushed as he was not used to giving a proper thanks. Raph was the one that had the hardest showing his feelings, as he was the tough one out of the siblings.

"Uh, well what I meant to say…was thanks." And he mumbled out the last couple of words. Crossing his arms, he sighed and watched Mikey and Leo talk about different foods while Donnie was mumbling to himself.

April felt shocked and yet warmed by the gratitude and said "It's nothing Raph. It's the least I could do and besides I'm extremely grateful to all of you."

Eventually they all settled down and April compiled a shopping list of things to get. She told them that she had planned on stopping at the store tomorrow to pick up the things they'll need. Donnie offered to look up recipes online for them to use. It sounded like a good idea to her and said it'll be helpful to have since Mikey has never been around the certain food.

He smiled a toothy smiled that showed the gap and his reddish-brown eyes glimmered with excitement. Leo was trying his hardest to contain his excitement along with Raph. However, Mikey got up and did his little victory dance. They felt that the holiday this year would be a good one.

April came into the lair early Thanksgiving morning. Everyone was already up as they couldn't stay asleep due to excitement. The fridge and freezer was stuffed with food and Mikey had the recipes in front of him. Banging and clanking of different pots and pans filled the kitchen and echoed into the lair. The boys began to bubble with laughter as they were all having a good time. Even Master Splinter joined in to help oversee the cooking. It had been years since he had a real celebratory dinner of any kind and he was happy to share the experience with his sons.

It pained him knowing that they could not experience the things a normal person could. He was extremely grateful for the gift of their friend. Not just for today, but for the fact that they had someone else they could interact with other than themselves. The world outside was cruel and he sheltered them from that as much as he could. However, lately many new opportunities opened up to them.

Different aromas filled the air and warmth spread through the kitchen. They never realized it took a lot of hard work to make the meals.

"Man, now I see why they only do this once a year. It takes hours and it's a lot of work." Raph complained.

"Actually Raph, they do this once a year because it's to celebrate a day when the Indians and-"

"I know what it's actually for. Television taught me that much." Raph cut off Donnie's explination.

Donnie glared at his older brother and Raph just smirked and shrugged. Today wasn't a day they should be fighting.

"Guys, chill. It's Turkey Day. It's the day to be thankful for what you got." Mikey said while trying to hug his brothers. They replied by keeping him at arm's length.

Once the turkey and sides were done, April put in an apple pie to bake for dessert. The kitchen table was full of different dishes. Some looked amazing, while others didn't come out too good. In their eyes, the food looked heavenly.

"Now remember my sons, today is not just about food and receiving. Today is about being thankful for what you have and who you have in your lives. Every day is a precious gift and your time is limited. Cherish your loved ones and honor your bonds. So April, I want to thank you…not only for this delicious meal we are about to enjoy, but for being my son's friend and my pupil." Master Splinter finished speaking and bowed his head to show his appreciation.

April smiled and replied with "You're welcome Sensei. Also, thank you all for being my friend and even…family. I'm happy you all invited me to spend today with you and I'm honored to be your student." April bowed her head back.

"Aright, lets dig in!" Mikey exclaimed

"Alright!" The other boys replied and then everyone cheered "Happy Thanksgiving!" and they proceeded to pass dishes along.

-The End.

Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed this story. It was a lot of fun writing what it would be for the Turtles to have their first real Thanksgiving.


End file.
